


Shattered Earth

by ismellitblue



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Firebending & Firebenders, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai A+ parenting, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23594809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ismellitblue/pseuds/ismellitblue
Summary: Zuko was mother's pride and joy, while Azula was father's right hand-cold,merciless and powerful-the perfect daughter.Then mother decided they all needed to go on a picnic and ruined it all.
Relationships: Azula & Ursa (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Ozai/Ursa (Avatar), Ursa & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 137





	Shattered Earth

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Atla.

Azula hadn’t really wanted to go to the family picnic( and neither had father), but mother had insisted.So now she was stuck outside with all the bugs, watching Zuzu try to feed a centipedebee.

“You know Zuzu,if you count their legs,you can make any wish come true,”She said,coming to sit next to her brother and angling her body so that when ever her mother looked,she wouldn’t be able to see Zuzu’s discomfort.

“That’s a lie Azula,go away!”She shifted closer,forming a small dome of fire around the insect-not enough to kill it,but enough to slowly cut off its air and make it panic,alternating between curling in on itself and fluttering its wings.

“Really brother dear,that’s not very nice.Besides if it is true,you could use your wish to become a better firebender-who knows,father might even notice you exist for once,”The barb sank in just as Azula let her prisoner go, and she smiled widely at the sight of tears running down her brother’s face…sometimes he was just too easy.

She got up, patting away the bits of dust that had dared cling to her pants.She turned her mouth twisted to deliver one final verbal blow, only to stop at the terrified look in Zuko’s eyes, his gaze fixed on something right behind her.

There was a loud crack,and for the first time in Azula’s life the earth wasn’t stable.It rumbled beneath her feet,the vibrations going right through her bones and squeezing her marrow.

 _What_?

A large shadow fell over her and she turned, calling fire to her palm,she only got the faintest spark before a huge rock hit her right in the diaphragm knocking all the breath out of her.

More rocks followed and she jumped on one,ignoring her aching ribs.

Earthbenders!

More rocks hit the air, and soon all thoughts of meeting her attackers head on were forgotten as a rock knocked her off her latest perch,and she went down- _hard_.Standing she dropped into a bending stance,only to have rocks clamp around her ankles,weighing her down and bringing her to her knees.

“Azula!”And there was Zuzu,trying to make it to her on unsteady legs,his normally weak fire blazing hot, but he was too far away.

Father was closer though, and he was a superb firebender.He fired off jets of flame,easily downing three of their assailants at once, and then he was running towards her.The sky above her darkened suddenly and Azula looked up only to be met with an incoming hailstorm of earth.

She cast her gaze back to her father, he was looking up at the descending rocks, and he too must have calculated the odds,same as her and seen how bleak it was.

But he was _father_ , he was a firebending _master_ , he would not be bested by a bunch of earth kingdom peasants.He kept moving forward, and then when he was at the range of the falling rocks, he ‘ _struggled’_ against a pair of subpar earthbenders.

A hero’s feint.

Pretending to save someone(usually after you got them into trouble in the first place), and then reaping the glory.She’d practiced it countless times on Ty Lee- _he’d taught it to her_.

But- _but_ ,it was a bonding ritual,just for the two of them.He was never supposed to use it on her. _He wouldn’t_ , Zuzu had mother, and she had father.

He’d never toss her to the bearwolves,he lov- _needed_ her.

But he wasn’t coming for her, _why_ wasn’t he coming for her?Something dark and heavier than the rocks pinning her settled in her chest.He should have felled the other benders in a single breath, but he was still fighting them.

 _Why_?

Zuzu-idiot that he was-sped right past father,and into the death shadow, blasting away the smaller rocks raining down on him.Clearly he hadn’t realized how useless it was, and the moment he did,his fearsome look gave way to little boy fear…but he still didn’t move,staying in the shadow with her rather than retreating to safety.

 _Why_?

Unable to look away Azula watched his eyes go wide… _terrified_ ,then she waited for the sound of bones breaking and rubbing against one another,for unavoidable pool of blood(just like it had on the turtleduck she’d accidentally dropped a pillar on-father had lied to mother for her,and given her a secret smile).

But the contact never happened, there was a blur of red and mother rolled with Zuzu, getting him out of harm’s way.

Of course she was saving him-Zuzu was hers.

But as soon as Zuzu was safe mother was moving again and Azula blinked,unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

Mother, face resolute was running back into danger-straight towards Azula…and she wasn’t stopping.

Surely the woman realized that it was too late.Azula’s bindings were weighing her down,she wouldn’t be easy to lift.And even if mother could lift her, they wouldn’t be fast enough to get away from the stones.

Why was she-

Mother fell right on top of her and had she not been in a state where it felt like everything was happening to someone else.Azula would’ve cursed the woman, _couldn’t she see_?Azula was right there and it was daylight,how could she trip and fall on… _oh_ …not fall,mother was covering her-acting as a shield.

But that meant-

The world went pitch black and she heard the sound of hundreds of rocks falling all around her,but she didn’t feel a single one of them.Above her she could feel mother’s heat,it spiked for a few moments,then it tapered off,leaving Azula with a cold weight on top of her.

When the rumbling finally stopped,Azula could smell iron, and there was a warm steady drip-drip on her cheek.

“ _Mother_?”Silence answered, and Azula didn’t bother trying again- _didn’t dare to_.

The smell of iron intensified the longer mother’s blood fell freely,and Azula gagged, only to choke on salty tears.

When had she started crying?Were those horrendous hiccupping sobs coming from her?

 _Impossible_.

Azula didn’t cry unless it was a sham-who was that bawling little girl, it was definitely not her.She wasn’t crying,she wasn’t crying,she _wasn’t_ …

**Author's Note:**

> Just had to get this out there.Hope you guys enjoyed reading!Stay safe.


End file.
